Northrop Grumman Integrates QCL into CIRCM System

Photonics.comOct 2011
ROLLING MEADOWS, Ill., Oct 11, 2011 — Northrop Grumman Corp. and Daylight Solutions, of San Diego, have announced the testing and integration of the Solaris quantum cascade laser (QCL) based system into the Northrop Grumman offering for the US Army’s mission-critical Common Infrared Countermeasures (CIRCM) program.

The result of a multiyear effort by the companies, the Solaris laser is part of a fully compliant and mature CIRCM system solution. Through multiple government tests, the capabilities of Daylight Solutions’ QCL-based laser have been validated to protect both fixed and rotary-wing aircraft against missile threats such as man-portable air defense systems.

Unveiling their companies’ jointly produced CIRCM laser and pointer-tracker offering are Timothy Day, chairman and CEO of Daylight Solutions; Paul Larson, president and COO of Daylight Solutions; Carl Smith, vice president of infrared countermeasures for Northrop Grumman; and Jeffrey Palombo, vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s Land and Self Protection Systems Div. (Image: Northrop Grumman Corp.)
“Our candidate system offers the war fighter the most mature aircraft protection available in an open-architecture package. Open architecture provides efficiency, economy and long-term platform protection as new threats emerge,” said Jeffrey Palombo, sector vice president and general manager of Northrop Grumman’s Land and Self Protection Systems Div.

The Northrop Grumman-led CIRCM team also includes Selex Galileo, which will provide the Economic Compact Lightweight Pointer-Tracker System (ECLIPSE) jam head. Northrop Grumman and Selex Galileo have been working in partnership on advanced infrared countermeasure systems for more than 15 years.